Groene bomen 1941

Léon Spilliaert made this painting called 'Groene bomen' or 'Green trees' with gouache and ink. Looking at the way these dark trees sit on the canvas, all bunched up together, I get a sense of the act of painting as searching for something. I love the way Spilliaert treats the trees, they have a real weight to them. The gouache is opaque, but also feels like it's been scrubbed and pulled to create texture, especially on the trunks. The way the light filters through the gaps, and the different greens he uses, adds to the mystery, a little like a stage set. There's this one tree in the foreground, see where the branches reach out like arms? It reminds me of the way Munch used trees in his paintings. Both artists give you this eerie feeling, like you’re not quite sure what's hiding in the woods. And isn't that what painting should do? Leave you with more questions than answers.